Wedding Bells
by seaweedfma
Summary: Roy had to watch his best friend and former lover get married. This was supposed to be his best day ever. So why did it hurt so much? Roy Mustang x Maes Hughes. Rated T to be safe for male kissing. No spoilers. Set before the series started.


Title: Wedding Bells  
Author: Seaweed Otter  
Characters: Roy x Maes and Maes x Gracia (not together)  
Rating: PG-13 for some kissing.  
Words: *EXACTLY* 3500! (Couldn't do that again if I tried)  
Disclaimer: None, really. Set before the series started.  
Summary: This was supposed to be his best day ever. So why did it hurt so much?

Author's Note: Thanks to **johns_elizabeth** for giving me advice on this fic!

**

Even as far as bachelor parties usually go, the bash that was held for Maes Hughes on his last day of freedom was one that would be remembered. Or it would have, if anyone that was there was capable of remembering it. As it was, so much alcohol had flowed that night that few people had anything but hazy memories of the evening before.

As was usual for him, Roy woke up first. He had somehow managed to snag a coveted couch position. Most of the rest of the groomsmen had to find the least uncomfortable place on the floor of the rather crowded Hughes household. He gingerly stepped over a snoring Breda, and tiptoed around Havoc, who had decided to snuggle close with a discarded couch pillow, hugging it like a child clings to a stuffed animal. He saw Fuery, short as he was, able to curl up in a large, comfortable chair, not too unlike a puppy at the foot of his master's bed. Roy chuckled softly when he noticed that Falman was even stiff as a board when he slept. Armstrong was in a corner, his giant frame dwarfing the small mat that he was sleeping on, his snoring giving Breda's a run for its money.

He stretched and yawned, trying to shake the cobwebs from his brain. He felt about three feet thick, and was glad that the curtains blocked out the rising sun. He didn't want any more light to fill his brain than had to. Even the small amount that was filtering in was too much for him. Roy glanced at the clock. It was only 0730 hours. There was still a little time before everyone needed to get moving. Just enough time to make a quick visit.

But first..

His first stop was to the restroom to relieve some of the pressure that had been building from the night before. Once that was taken care of, he carefully and quietly made his way back to the only bedroom in the small house. The door was closed, but not locked. He knocked quietly with the knuckles of his hand.

"Maes?" He asked, not surprised when he didn't get an answer. He turned the knob, cringing lightly as the door creaked when it opened. He saw the sleeping form in the bed. He didn't stir, even with the noise.

"Maes?" His voice was a little louder. The door was more quiet when he closed it behind him. Carefully, he made his way over to the bed. The man under the covers stirred just a little when Roy put his hand on his head and gently brushed back a few strands of loose hair from his face. Softly, he leaned down and gave Maes a gentle kiss on the top of his forehead.

"Mmmmrrrf." Maes grumbled and shifted a little, but his eyes stayed closed. Roy sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand over the bare shoulder that was barely peeking out from under the covers. He felt the muscles, bunched and tight, even in sleep, stiff with stress. Maes was sleeping on his side, so Roy took his hand and started to massage the only shoulder he could get to, trying to massage the muscles lightly.

"Mmm.. Nice.." Maes muttered, moving almost unconsciously onto his stomach to give better access to his shoulder blades. Roy smiled and started to kneed a little harder, working his fingers into the skin, molding it and creasing it under the pads of his fingers like an artist to a piece of clay. Maes started to awaken some, blinking his eyes softly in the thin light of the room.

"Roy!" Maes exclaimed, immediately jumping up into a sitting position and instinctively pulling the cover up to his neck, grasping them tight in his fingers.

The alchemist stood up and stepped back- away from the bed, the sadness evident in his face. "Yes, Maes. It is me. I just.. wanted to see you one more time.. To touch you, before you leave." He had always tried to hide his feelings- put his face behind a mask like he did to everyone else, but he just couldn't do it with Maes. He was the only man who could make Roy wear his heart on his sleeve. Maes saw past that mask, past the stone face of smugness that Roy wore for everyone but him.

"Roy, we shouldn't. I am getting married in a few hours." He paused and looked at a clock on the wall, then back to Roy. It is only going to hurt more. You know once I do this, we cannot be together. This will only hurt us both." Roy could hear the hurt in his voice, but the words stung more than he knew they should. Maes was right, and Roy knew it. But he just wanted one more touch, one more kiss that he could remember his former lover by.

"Please, Maes. Just a kiss, or a few minutes close to you. I know, it is wrong, and it will just hurt me more later.. but I need it now. Please."

Maes sighed and pulled back the covers a little, patting the bed next to him. Roy almost tripped over himself getting back into the bed, not caring that he still had the clothes on that he had been wearing the night before. Maes on the other hand, had somehow managed during the night to shirk all of his clothes, minus his boxer shorts, before collapsing onto his bed after the party ended.

Just like they used to do, Roy curled up on his side, Maes spooned up behind him, draping his long arm across Roy's thin chest. They were quiet for a while. Neither could really think of anything that had to be said at this moment. Without even noticing, their breathing synched, their chests rising and falling as one, two puzzle pieces interlocked together. Roy felt his whole body relaxing, his muscles untensing without him even realizing that he had been tightening them. His eyes started to get heavy, and he fought it for a while, but it was little use. He was out again within a few minutes.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Roy, Wake up. It is 0930. We need to get ready." He woke up to Maes gently holding his shoulders and shaking him.

"Rrrrm.. Huh?" He blinked a couple of times and rubbed his eyes. Maes came into focus a few seconds later, sitting on the edge of the bed, still not dressed but wearing his glasses. Silently Roy cursed himself. The last chance he had with Maes, and he had fallen asleep. Time was up.

"Maes?"

"Yeah, Roy?"

"Can.. I ask one little favor?"

"What is it?"

"I know you will probably say no, but... can I have one last kiss, please?"

Maes sighed and pushed his glasses up on his nose, like he often did when he was frustrated or upset. It was one of the little quirks that Roy knew so well. He knew the man's idiosyncrasies by heart, as well as he knew the array on the back of his glove. Like the odd way that Maes put his arm under his pillow when he slept to give him more thickness, or the little morning routine that he did to get himself ready for the day. Maes insisted that he felt 'off' if he didn't do it.

"Just one, then we have to get ready." He closed his eyes for just a moment. "I am sorry, Roy. You know I am. We have talked about this. I love you. I always will. But I want a family- a wife and maybe a couple of kids, a normal life. You know that we can't tell anyone about us, save the few soldiers we trust- like Hawkeye and the rest. I don't want to have to hide my love, to be frightened for my life if someone found out that I was in love with another man. And besides, you have your goals. As lofty as they are, this is one skeleton you do not want in your closet."

Roy nodded, and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, so that he sat up on the edge of the bed next to Maes. He gently put his hand on top of the taller man's, feeling the skin under his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Maes. Sometimes I wish I hadn't fallen in love with you. That way, you wouldn't have had to choose, and I would have saved you a lot of heartache. It seems like I am good for causing others pain."

"I don't regret it. Not one second. It wasn't easy, but it was fun. You are a good man, Roy Mustang. You will find the person you can spend the rest of your life with. But it isn't me." Before Roy could say anything, Maes leaned in and pressed his lips against the alchemist's. Roy grunted, his hands, out of habit, went to rub softly against his lover's chest. His tongue requested entrance to Maes' mouth, and after a moment of hesitation it was granted.

Time moved slowly for Roy. He could feel each heartbeat pound in his chest. His brain and his heart fought. He wanted to feel more, touch more, but he knew he shouldn't. When Maes finally broke the kiss, Roy's eyes started to redden. He didn't care that moisture was gathering in the corners of his eyes. He never cried in front of anyone.

Anyone, that is, except for Maes Hughes.

Roy hadn't even noticed that he has closed his eyes. He opened them, already bloodshot and moist. "So.. that is it then." He said, taking his hands off of the other man's chest and balling them up, punching the bed under him.

"I.. guess so, Roy." Maes stood up and walked towards the bathroom. "I have to get ready now. Would you please go downstairs and make sure that the rest of the group is moving?" Roy nodded, taking a moment to dry his eyes and make himself more presentable. He stood up, but didn't leave the room right away. He watched Maes walk to the restroom and close the door. His heart sank when he heard the lock being pulled. Maes never would have locked him out before, but they both knew that the temptation for Roy to follow him would have been irresistible had the door stayed open. The mornings that they had spent together in the shower were some of their favorite memories.

Roy sighed, fighting the lump in his throat. He walked out the bedroom door and closed it behind him again. His head throbbed, and the back of his eyes felt like they were going to fall out of their sockets, and he wasn't totally sure if it was the hangover that was making him feel this way.

As he walked into the main room, he saw that there was already some stirring. He gently shook a few of the stragglers awake, and tried as best he could to start organizing the chaos- anything that he could do to keep his mind off of what had just happened.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the morning passed very quickly, which was fine with Roy. Somehow, everyone was able to get up and get ready, all dressed in their tuxedos in just over an hour. A line of cars came by to take the groom's party to the small chapel. Maes had never considered himself a religious man, but Gracia had insisted that they get married in a church, so a small chapel that she had been attending for the last few years, ever since she moved to East City, was the obvious choice. It was a nice coincidence that they had a large banquet hall that was perfect for the reception.

When they got to the chapel, the groomsmen were ushered into a small back room for final preparations. They all made sure their ties were straight and their hair was groomed (or in the case of Havoc, as groomed as his spiked do would go). That didn't take too long, and after a few minutes, there was little more to do than stand around and wait for the inevitable.

Maes asked his friend to do him a favor, and Roy snuck out of the groom's room and slinked down the hallway, eventually finding the room where the bridesmaids were hiding. He knocked on the door.

"Go away!" he heard from the other side of the door.

"It isn't Maes. It is me, Roy."

"Hold on."

One of the bridesmaids, a girl that Roy didn't know. opened the door. She blushed slightly and smiled when she saw him. He smiled back, thinking that she was rather pretty, and when he looked down he didn't see a ring on her finger. He laughed inwardly. The old Mustang would have put the moves on her in a minute. So what was stopping him?

"Maes." He hadn't even realized that he had said it aloud until the room of women stopped and looked at him.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem.. I meant Maes sent me with a message for the bride to be." He silently applauded himself, having covered that up fairly well. He walked over to Gracia and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "He said that there is a lot more where that came from."

Gracia smiled and blushed deep. "I hope he just told you to send that and didn't show you." she joked. A warm, honest smile came to Roy's face. 'You have no idea' he thought to himself, but he didn't say a word.

"I... should be getting back." He bowed low to Gracia, then as a group to the rest of the bridesmaids. "See you all soon." he smiled one last time and left, closing the door behind him. He heard it lock after he left, and for a split second his mind raced back to the bathroom door that morning. He sighed and headed back slowly for the groom's room.

______________________________________________________________________________

Before long, it was time. Soft music was played while the groomsmen walked down the aisle, Fuery first, then Breda, Falman, then Havoc. Roy, the best man, walked right in front of the groom. They got situated at the front of the chapel, right in front of the priest, and a few long heartbeats later, the music changed, and everyone stood for the entrance of the bride.

She had only been partially dressed (but decent) when he saw her in the room, and now that Roy saw her, he could understand why Maes was so smitten with her. She was stunning in a white dress, with sleeves off the shoulder and a train long enough that a couple of kids- friends of her family- had to carry it after her.

Roy elbowed Maes in the ribs, eliciting a soft "Uff!" from the man, and flashed him a big smile. He just adjusted his glasses and gave Roy a smirk.

Even afterward, Roy wasn't sure if he could recall what was actually said during the ceremony. It all seemed to be a haze. He couldn't take his mind off the events of the morning, and he fought to make sure that he didn't stare at Maes the whole time.

He looked so terribly handsome in his tuxedo, something that Roy had never been able to get him to wear, even when they went out on dates that were disguised as "business dinners" to various upscale restaurants around town. He had insisted for years, about as long as Roy had known him, that he was only going to wear a tuxedo once, and it was going to be a major occasion, and he would know what the occasion was when it was right.

Roy knew that despite his feelings, it was the right time.

He felt bad when he made an excuse to look away slightly when the newly married couple share their first kiss, scratching at a non-existent itch on his side. It just hurt too much to know that the lips that he had kissed just hours before were no longer his to kiss or explore or lick, that never again would he be able to wake up next to his lover and give him a gentle peck good morning like he used to be able to.

It was almost too much.

He watched, a plastic smile pasted on his face as the couple took their walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. He got a few pats on the back, saying how good of a job he did as the best man and such. He smiled and nodded, giving short, polite responses, all the while trying to slowly work his way out of the room so he could go scream his lungs out somewhere where no one would hear him.

Eventually, he was able to make his way to the bathroom, where he closed himself up inside of one of the stalls, not even bothering to try to hold back his tears for the second time that day. Deep in his mind, he knew that he couldn't stay long. Someone would come looking for the Best Man when he came up missing, but part of him just didn't care. He had just watched the person that he had loved for years- since they had first become friends at the military academy when they were barely men- give his eternal love to another. He literally had to watch his life be wrenched away from him.

Roy punched the side of the stall, but it didn't really make him feel any better. It just made his knuckles ached. He just hoped that the bruises wouldn't show until after the reception was over. Sighing, he opened the stall door and walked out to sink, splashing cold water on his face and drying himself thoroughly.

He caught Maes right as he was opening the door to leave. "Oh, I was just coming to find you, Roy." He looked concerned for just a moment, and Roy didn't miss that expression on his face. But a smile quickly replaced it, and he clapped his friend hard on the back. "Come on. We can't toast without the best man!"

Once again, Roy put on the fake, plastic smile and followed the groom back towards the reception area.

When everybody had gotten their food and was situated, Roy stood up, gently tapping his spoon on the side of his glass to get everyone's attention.

"Ahem, attention everyone." he said, and the room quickly quieted. All eyes were on him. His throat felt as thick as his head still did, and for just a second, the room swam. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He was so afraid that he was going to slip and say something he shouldn't.

But as quickly as it came, it passed, and he put on the brave, stone face of the personable, confident, and unflappable Mustang- even if it was a blatant lie.

"I had the misfortune of being placed with this big goofball in my second year at the academy. He would never go out, always preferring his books over the beautiful girls on campus. When he told me, right before we were shipped out that he found himself a girl, I was shocked. I had never seen him talking to anyone. I guess that goes to show you why he wants to go into Investigations and not me!" There were a few giggles from the crowd.

"This man kept me sane, through the darkest parts of my life. After we came back, I was broken and at the end of my rope. He threw me a longer line and told me that he was going to keep feeding me that line as long as I needed. He has been that anchor of stability to many people, me included. Now he has a new life.." Roy paused to give Maes a look, trying unsuccessfully to hide the pain behind his stony facade, "..and a new anchor to tie his rope to." He raised his glass, and everyone else in the room followed suit.

"To the anchor, and the new, wonderful life that these two will lead together. I hope that nothing ever comes between you two, and the love you share. Have a wonderful, long life together."

The cries of "Hear, Hear!" and "Long live the happy couple!" came up from around the room. and somewhere on the side of his vision Roy caught the tears that came from his friend's eyes.


End file.
